The San Diego Air Pollution Control District regulates sources of air pollution within San Diego County to improve air quality to protect public health and the environment. The SDACPD is part of the San Diego Air Basin and is classified as nonattainment for California’s ambient air quality standards. The SDACPD is broken up into five divisions to ensure that all areas of air pollution are addressed, including monitoring, rule development, permitting, compliance, and grants and incentives.
SDACPD follows two Emissions Inventory programs: Criteria Pollutant Emissions Inventory and the Toxic Emissions Inventory or “Hot Spots” Program, and approximately 3,000 facilities within San Diego County are required to comply. Sources must obtain ERCs if they emit more than:
- 100 tons/year of CO
- 40 tons/year of NOx, SOx
- 7 tons/year of VOCs
- 15 tons/year of PM10
- 10 tons/year of PM2.5
The SDACPD maintains records of the credits in a “banking registry.” New or modified major facilities in nonattainment areas must obtain ERCs to satisfy the offset ratio requirements for proposed increases. Qualifying emissions reductions can be banked for later use or sale.